Autistic Kids Turn Into Autistic Adults

March 4, 2026
By Jessica Reilly-Chevalier
Tags: Alternative Medicine, Medical Marijuana

This interview first appeared in the Kids & Cannabis Issue of Fat Nugs Magazine, published December 2025

Autistic Kids Turn into Autistic Adults: An Interview with Kate Avruch

If you’re talking about cannabis and kids, you won’t get very far in the conversation until autism comes up.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines autism as “a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.” It is one of the most discussed forms of neurodivergence, an umbrella term for people whose brains are wired and function differently.

The conversation around autism has evolved quite rapidly over the past 15 years. Once divided into subcategories of functionality, today the diagnosis is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with three levels, determined by the amount of support someone needs.

Greatly misunderstood throughout the mid-to-late 20th century, today the conversation around autism is evolving, as is the conversation around cannabis. We know more about autism today than we did in the early aughts, but there is still a long way to go. One thing that is often ignored in the discourse is the simple fact that autistic children grow up to be autistic adults, who retain all of the struggles with little of the support provided to children.

Autistic Adulthood

Kate Avruch, the founder of Operator Academy, is one of those people. She was diagnosed autistic at 33 years old, a late diagnosis by any definition. It was validating, she says, but only the start of a new battle.

“I had been misdiagnosed several times before, and each time you dive into the diagnosis and realize it doesn’t apply. Now here was that thing I actually was, and it was a really scary feeling of not knowing anything about it.”

Like many people, Kate’s understanding of autism was limited to common stereotypes: male, non-verbal, high-support needs.

“I have a cousin who is non-verbal, and he has high support needs. He needs help with every aspect of daily life, and he will never be independent. That was what I thought autism was. And here I am, a high-functioning, independent woman. It was hard to reconcile.”

While societal understanding of autism has come a long way in the past 30 years, we still have a long way to go. Only in recent years has the diagnostic criteria expanded to include women and girls and more “minor” symptoms.

“For a long time, we thought girls didn’t get autism. Boys who spoke had Asperger’s. We didn’t have the understanding [that we have today]. My diagnosis was the start of another journey, where I had to educate myself and grow in my own ability to openly talk about my diagnosis and feel safe enough to share my life. There are very real complications that come with being openly autistic.”

Coming to Cannabis as an Adult

Kate didn’t come to cannabis until her mid-20s when she began working for a legal operator in Massachusetts. She credits her close working conditions with the plant in its many forms to sparking her curiosity.

“I could try a lot of different product types, really cost-effectively. They were consistent, they were tested, and they were safe. Because of who I worked for, I also had access to non-THC cannabinoid blends, which made a huge difference.”

Cannabis was not on her radar when she was younger, so whether it would have helped is speculation. But to speculate, Kate acknowledges that it could have been useful – with barriers.

“If my parents were knowledgeable and on board, I think cannabis could have been very helpful. But without oversight, I don’t know that I would have the impulse regulation to have managed it on my own.”

How Cannabis Helps

One of the biggest challenges for autistic people is the additional stimuli their brains process. “Brains… with autism create more information at rest.” (Velázquez, 2013). One of the prevailing lines of research on autism suggests that “too many brain connections” with too much activity between synapses may be responsible for overstimulation as well as communication struggles (Huang, P. 2017).

“I would just dissociate at work. I would go 10 – 15 hours without a break, without food or water. Cannabis helps show me the signals from my body that I was ignoring because I was overstimulated.”

It’s not that cannabis is a magic bullet by any means, but what Kate describes echoes many other conversations I’ve had.

“Cannabis doesn’t fix anything, but it’s positive habit stacking. It gives me space from the stimulation and encourages me to do the thing I know I need to be doing.”

But what does that look like in practice?

“I often struggle to eat. So first thing in the morning, I’d eat an edible. Then I’d get to work and actually feel hungry and be able to eat breakfast. I would take a break to smoke a joint, and suddenly I was hungry for lunch.”

These days, Kate opts for flower-free options. “I love layering; topicals, concentrates, and edibles are my current favorites. I have a small child, so I have to keep the smell down.”

For many neurodivergent people, cannabis can help address issues that modern medicine is baffled by.

“I struggled with anxiety and gut problems for years before cannabis. I went to dozens of different doctors with no answer. Finally, when I tried edibles, they helped with my stomach pain and constant nausea.” But even that was not an answer to the problem. “Now I realize that it was oversensitivity to stimulus in my environment.”

Kate is, by any definition, high-functioning; she has worked in the cannabis industry for over 5 years, started her own business, travels for conference panels, and has a family. But even for autistic individuals with higher support needs, cannabis may still make the day-to-day easier.

“My cousin has a cannabis doctor who had him on a tincture regimen. It helped him sleep better, regulate his emotions, and deal with some debilitating digestive issues.”

The Science on Cannabis and Autism

What I really want to talk about is the science. Articles like Autism and associated disorders: cannabis as a potential therapy (2022) and Lower circulating endocannabinoid levels in children with autism spectrum disorder (2019) suggest that autism is governed, at least in part, by a highly dysregulated endocannabinoid system. Luckily, Kate does too.

“The endocannabinoid system is incredibly under-researched. We have nearly identical chemical compounds to THC in the body (anandamide). These temporary gifts [from cannabis] can be a holdover. I see a future where cannabis can be personalized medicine.”

Personalization is important for supporting autistic people, who often have highly specific issues, with general symptoms.

“I always say, if you meet 10 autistic people, you’ve met 10 types of autistic people. Even people with the same support needs don’t always have the same issues. There is no one-size-fits-all. Cannabis is a great tool to offset or supplement these deficiencies.”

If, in fact, a dysregulated ECS plays a major role in autism as is suspected, cannabis may be able to help autistic people with overall quality of life, as well as specific symptom relief.

“There was a 2019 report that autistic children had significantly lower blood volumes of anandamide. (Karhson, 2019) This compound is vital for proper system regulation, so the question becomes: how can we get these compounds into kids in a way that is both non-intoxicating and non-habit forming?’

Exactly how much can it help? The jury (and the science) are still out, with a long way to go.

“The research [on autism, and autism and cannabis] has not caught up to our lived realities.”

Cannabis and Her Kid

Today, Kate is the mother of a 4-year-old son, who is also neurodivergent. Having a child has changed her relationship to the plant and to the industry.

“No one likes a pregnant lady at a smoke sesh,” Kate tells me. “But that time away and having to step back gave me perspective. I have so much respect for the parents who find a balance for what they need to do to maintain a positive physical and emotional household – and for so many people, it’s plant medicine. I have met so many people who are responsible consumers of these substances with kids.”

Kate made the personal choice not to consume during her pregnancy, but she is incredibly supportive of increasing the research around how parents consume cannabis.

“We have to talk about the reality that parents are consumers and consumers are parents. Up until now, the conversation has been ‘if you do this, you’re demonized’ like giving birth takes away the right to take care of yourself.”

For now, her son is too young to have many questions about cannabis. “He’s very familiar with the concept of healing things that grow outside. The best advice I was given was to talk frankly about cannabis and just answer the question the kid is asking, not going beyond what you think they’re asking and giving too much age-inappropriate information.”

Given her position on cannabis, has Kate given her son any cannabinoids?

“At this point, no, he has not needed any medical interventions.”

But in the future?

“Absolutely. Hemp is a healing plant with hundreds of non-intoxicating cannabinoids. And terpenes? That’s just aromatherapy.”

Cannabis and Autism: Alternative Forms of Alternative Medicine

Kate is an ardent supporter of cannabis in its many forms.

“One of the most slept-on forms of cannabis are the acidic cannabinoids. THC has so many benefits, but people get scared of the side effects, like getting high. Look for other forms of THC that deliver those benefits while mitigating the psychoactive effects, like THCa.”

What advice would she give to parents with neurodivergent children, particularly those who suspect cannabis may help?

“It doesn’t hurt to learn something or ask questions. It’s not a commitment. You know your kid best, and if you want to explore an option that has helped other people, you should. Talk to other people with autism or autistic kids, but talk to medical professionals as well. There are amazing resources online. Know your options, define your goals, and understand the law.”

Also, skip the flower and the joints for your test runs, and invest in something that goes a little farther.

“Get a concentrated tincture of whatever cannabinoids you’re looking for. This is the most cost-effective way to try it, and it gives you ultimate flexibility for finding the right dosage. You have many doses in one bottle, and it’s simple to combine with other tinctures or other forms like edibles. It’s a really easy product to use in a regimen.”

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